The Second Red Scare and the Unmaking of the New Deal LeftLandon R. Y. Storrs
“[I]mportant, portentous work…the means by which the once powerful American Left was reduced to stigmatized impotence were farm from pretty. In fact, Storrs argues convincingly that historians have yet to grasp just how ugly they were.” –David Hawkes, Times Literary Supplement

Islamic Political Thought:
An IntroductionEdited by Gerhard Bowering
Praise for Princeton’s previous edition: “[L]ucid and engaging…Enlightening and challenge…[A] work of high-quality erudition packaged in an accessible manner which will benefit a wider readership.” —Times Literary Supplement

On November 9th, 2014, the world will join Berlin in celebrating the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Also on that day, PBS will air Angela Stent’s American Forum discussion of the fall, as well as her book, The Limits of Partnership: U.S.-Russian Relations in the Twenty-First Century. The discussion, to take place today at 11:00AM at the University of Virginia Miller Center, can be live streamed here (for those of you who can’t wait until November 9th!).

Each week we post a round-up of some of our most exciting national and international PUP book coverage. Reviews, interviews, events, articles–this is the spot for coverage of all things “PUP books” that took place in the last week. Enjoy!

While the unrest in Ukraine continues, experts on Russia are dusting off their interview materials. PUP author Angela Stent has seen her schedule fill up as Americans look for answers to the questions surrounding the status of Crimea and the relationship between the US and Russia. Stent is quoted in a recent New York Times article, where Jason Horowitz addresses the shortage of experts and scholars well-versed in all things Russia. Many in the field see the focus on other areas of the world, including Asia and the Middle East, as the reason for a drop-off in the US’s attention to Russia. Stent says:

When we’ve all retired, 10, 20 years down the road, I don’t know how many people will be left with this area of expertise. And we can’t assume that our relationship with Russia won’t suddenly command a lot of attention. Because as we can see, it does.

Stent’s recently-published book, The Limits of Partnership, reflects the unique perspective of an insider who is also recognized as a leading expert on this troubled relationship. Stent vividly describes how Clinton and Bush sought inroads with Russia and staked much on their personal ties to Boris Yeltsin and Vladimir Putin–only to leave office with relations at a low point–and how Barack Obama managed to restore ties only to see them undermined by a Putin regime resentful of American dominance and determined to restore Russia’s great power status. The book calls for a fundamental reassessment of the principles and practices that drive U.S.-Russian relations, and offers a path forward to meet the urgent challenges facing both countries.

Decision time is almost here. For high school seniors applying to colleges and universities, the nervous email checks and trips to the mailbox are almost over. So for students and parents waiting on those last few coveted acceptance letters, have you ever wondered what makes up your odds? Besides SATs and GPAs, is there another way to predict which students will be accepted to which colleges? Gregory Clark has your answer. In his new book, The Son Also Rises, Clark explains why many common ideas about social mobility are incorrect. Clark studied the frequency of admission to Oxford and Cambridge, looking back to as early as 1170 (no online applications then, right?), and he found that movement on the social ladder has changed little over eight centuries.

Using this novel technique–tracking family names over generations to measure social mobility across countries and periods–Clark reveals that mobility rates are lower than conventionally estimated, do not vary across societies, and are resistant to social policies. The good news is that these patterns are driven by strong inheritance of abilities and lineage does not beget unwarranted advantage. The bad news is that much of our fate is predictable from lineage. Clark argues that since a greater part of our place in the world is predetermined, we must avoid creating winner-take-all societies.

Why are banking systems unstable in so many countries–but not in others? The United States has had twelve systemic banking crises since 1840, while Canada has had none. The banking systems of Mexico and Brazil have not only been crisis prone but have provided miniscule amounts of credit to business enterprises and households.

Analyzing the political and banking history of the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil through several centuries, the new book by Charles Calomiris and Stephen Haber,Fragile by Design, demonstrates that chronic banking crises and scarce credit are not accidents due to unforeseen circumstances. Rather, these fluctuations result from the complex bargains made between politicians, bankers, bank shareholders, depositors, debtors, and taxpayers. The well-being of banking systems depends on the abilities of political institutions to balance and limit how coalitions of these various groups influence government regulations.

Intrigued when you stumble upon an undeveloped disposable camera from circa 1998? We can do you one better — we’re talking 1870. Errol Fuller’s Lost Animals is a unique photographic record of extinction, presented by a world authority on vanished animals. Covering 28 extinct species, Lost Animals includes familiar examples like the last Passenger Pigeon, Martha, and one of the last Ivory-billed Woodpeckers, photographed as it peers quizzically at the hat of one of the biologists who has just ringed it. But the book includes rare images as well, many never before published. Collected together here for the first time, these photographs provide a tangible link to animals that have now vanished forever, in a book that brings the past to life while delivering a warning for the future.

Errol Fuller’s new book is a visual lament. Lost Animals is a handsome but sad record of animals that existed for millennia–long enough for photography to be invented–but have now disappeared from the face of the Earth. The images are accompanied by short, evocative texts about the creatures and the naturalists who recorded their existence.

Erroll Fuller’s Lost Animals: Extinction and the Photographic Record is a sad and moving collection of passenger pigeons, heath hens, Tasmanian tigers and other vanished animals….[A] blurry glimpse is still a worthy glimpse when it comes to seeing a number of species in their last moments.”

Each week we post a round-up of some of our most exciting national and international PUP book coverage. Reviews, interviews, events, articles–this is the spot for coverage of all things “PUP books” that took place in the last week. Enjoy!

Stop what you’re doing and take a breath. No, this isn’t a stress-relief exercise. (Although if you’re looking to unwind with a great book this weekend, you’ve come to the right place!) How much do you know about the air that we breathe every day? Donald E. Canfield has your answers.

His new book, Oxygen: A Four Billion Year History, was reviewed in Nature this week. This PUP book — which gives a rundown of all things “O” — is described as “engaging and authoritative.” Donald Canfield — one of the world’s leading authorities on geochemistry, earth history, and the early oceans — covers the vast history of oxygen on Earth, emphasizing its relationship to the evolution of life and the evolving chemistry of the Earth. With an accessible and colorful first-person narrative, he draws from a variety of fields, including geology, paleontology, geochemistry, biochemistry, animal physiology, and microbiology, to explain why our oxygenated Earth became the ideal place for life. Before you take another breath, check out Chapter 1 here.

Spending too much time this afternoon scrolling through #Sochi news? To get ready for the Russian-hosted games, we turn to PUP author Angela Stent. The Times Higher Education reviewed Stent’s new book, The Limits of Partnership: U.S.-Russian Relations in the Twenty-First Century, just in time for the upcoming games. Elizabeth Cobbs Hoffman of the THE writes, “Stent, a Sovietologist who served in government under presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, expertly condenses the past two decades of this tumultuous relationship with an insider’s command of detail.”

Want to learn more about the host of the games? Pick up a copy of Angela Stent’s book for a look into what political issues may be the backdrop of the competition. You can view the introduction of the book here. Also, check out this NYT video, “Think Back: Olympics Meets Politics,” which highlights the inevitable political element that accompanies the world’s biggest games.

Starr is that rare scholar with the horsepower to write about the medieval culture of this vast region that is bounded by Persia to the west, and China to the east, and India to the southeast….An indispensable title for scholars, this lively study should prove equally compelling to serious lay readers with an interest in Arabic and medieval thought.

In this sweeping and richly illustrated history, S. Frederick Starr tells the fascinating but largely unknown story of Central Asia’s medieval enlightenment through the eventful lives and astonishing accomplishments of its greatest minds–remarkable figures who built a bridge to the modern world. PUP readers can view Chapter 1 here.

What to do instead of waiting in line at Home Depot for rock salt and shovels? Pass the time with this new weather-related op-ed from PUP author Ian Roulstone. Roulstone takes on the question of how weathermen (and women) fare versus Mother Nature, writing:

We are often described as a nation preoccupied by weather, and we’ve certainly had plenty to talk about over the last few weeks. The wind and rain continue their relentless assault, and the headlines focus, quite rightly, on the plight of those worst affected – what should be done to help? Meanwhile flood waters continue to rise and this is not unexpected. The weather forecasters have done their job well: no Michael Fish moments to distract our attention from what’s important. Indeed, the last few winters have been marked by extremes – from snowbound Gatwick Airport to the St Jude Day Storm – and the weathermen have stayed ahead of the game. So is Mother Nature’s number finally up when it comes to blowing us away with a storm from out of the blue?

Can meteorologists, with the advanced technology of today, finally state that they have won the battle, out-predicting any storm that comes their way? For Roulstone’s answer, check out the full op-ed, which ran on Huff Post UK. You can also view chapter one of his and John Norbury’s book, Invisible in the Storm.

Each week we post a round-up of some of our most exciting national and international PUP book coverage. Reviews, interviews, events, articles–this is the spot for coverage of all things “PUP books” that took place in the last week. Enjoy!

Well, folks, we’re one month in, and 2014 is off to a stellar start for PUP books and authors. We rounded out the month of January with some great reviews in publications from around the world. Check them out below!

The one-week countdown to Sochi has arrived. And as athletes from around the world travel to the games, all eyes have turned to the games’ host. PUP author Angela Stent–director of the Center for Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies at Georgetown University–is our in-house expert for all things “Russia.” This week, the New York Times published a piece by Stent, where she discusses the implications of the upcoming games for Russia and President Vladimir V. Putin. She writes:

The Olympic Games are supposed to symbolize international cooperation as well as competition. Of course, any country hosting the Games wants to highlight its best features. But Sochi may be one of those times in Olympic history when a leader wants to use the Games for a much more specific political purpose — in this case, to prove that the system he presides over is preferable to that in many participating countries.

It seems like some people have all the luck, doesn’t it? Or perhaps certain people really do have better track records of “making it.” While it has been argued that rigid class structures have eroded in favor of greater social equality, our new PUP book, The Son Also Rises, proves that movement on the social ladder has changed little over eight centuries. Using a novel technique–tracking family names over generations to measure social mobility across countries and periods–renowned economic historian Gregory Clark reveals that mobility rates are lower than conventionally estimated, do not vary across societies, and are resistant to social policies.

Another remarkable feature of the surname data is how seemingly impervious social mobility rates are to government interventions. In all societies, what seems to matter is just who your parents are. At the extreme, we see in modern Sweden an extensive system of public education and social support. Yet underlying mobility rates are no higher in modern Sweden than in pre-industrial Sweden or medieval England.

While we’re on the topic of economics, check out this Financial Times review of Eswar Prasad’s The Dollar Trap, the book that argues that the dollar is the cornerstone of global finance–and will be for the foreseeable future. Henry Sender of the FT says, “To understand how the world of international finance works, what the agendas are and what is at stake, this work is indispensable.” Prasad was also interviewed on Marketplace:

‘This argument for intellectual unity in Newton’s method of working gives Newton and the Origin of Civlization philosophical as well as historical originality and importance … represents a climacteric in our understanding of its subject’s life and thought.’

Newton and the Origin of Civilization tells the story of how one of the most celebrated figures in the history of mathematics, optics, and mechanics came to apply his unique ways of thinking to problems of history, theology, and mythology, and of how his radical ideas produced an uproar that reverberated in Europe’s learned circles throughout the eighteenth century and beyond. Preview the introduction for more about this title.

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